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If you're not sure how to get to Pollos Asados Los Norteños, just follow the smoke. When you arrive, breathe deeply and enjoy the aroma of burning charcoal and chicken skin as it renders its fat and crisps up over a flame.

Those are the unmistakeable signs of Monterrey-style roasted chicken, and they're a reminder of how the simplest dishes can prove the most satisfying. The whole chickens are split in half and roasted on the grill with a regular basting of an herby mixture that includes some dried chile powder that tints the chicken a reddish orange hue.

Chickens are available as either a half or whole, and served with rice, corn tortillas, green and red salsas, a grilled jalapeño, and a lime half for a price that's hard to beat: $7 for a half chicken, $12 for a whole chicken. It's not just a great deal; it's a great meal at a very reasonable price.

If the chicken were the only highlight on the menu, it would suffice. But an order of fajitas (beef, of course) that includes plenty of accompaniments proved noteworthy. The texture did show some meat tenderizer softness, but the flavor and a touch of char were spot-on.

To complete the trifecta of meaty happiness, there's the epic Hamburguesa Norteña. It's a half-pound of beef topped with a slice of ham, asadero cheese and chopped grilled jalapeño. Shredded lettuce and diced tomato sit under the meat, and the top half of the bun has a spread of chipotle sauce. The chipotle sauce has a nice kick to it, but those blistered and chopped jalapeños take the heat to another level. Each bite induces a feeling that the heat is almost too much to take — but it's almost impossible to keep from taking another.

The bean burger is fine, but it's not on the same level of sensory overload as the Norteña. Perhaps a bit more pico de gallo would help. (The dish came with jalapeño.)

Really, there are no bad choices here, but perhaps the best decision is whether to choose a pollo asado or a Norteña. ¡Sí!